You Are My Therapy
by secreteamccord
Summary: Elizabeth has met plenty of therapists..And she couldn't care less. But Henry was different. And this time, she cares a lot.
1. Chapter 1

_Not again. Not this again._

How many times did she have to do this _over and over again?_

Elizabeth releases a mumbled sigh, as her hands reach to grip the doorknob. This is the 7th - she knows she shouldn't be counting, but someday if the number gets overboard enough...People may just finally realize that _this_ _is not working_. It hasn't been for the longest time. She tightens her hold on the doorknob, hoping that all the energy she's holding onto releases itself somehow, then she turns it.

The door clicks and she sneaks herself through the gap, making her way into the room - it was..different. Unlike the previous six, filled with 'inspirational' quotes, way too much color and always stacks of feedback forms, and the clipboards. She especially hated the clipboards. It almost feels like they were all there to grade her, to seem professional and get it over with.

This one though..She felt as though she was walking into a living room. It was well-lit, homely and cozy, and not one clipboard in sight, just couches and comfy pillows.

 _And a game station._

God, this was a sight for a sore eyes.

"Hi, Elizabeth?"

The voice knocked her right out of her thoughts, and she draws her attention to the man seated on the couch. He had the warmest eyes she'd ever seen, that's for sure. His brown hazel eyes radiated tenderness and his shirt hugged his body, highlighting the undeniable biceps underneath. You'd think this would make this easier for her...but truth be told - this may be the most challenging one yet. The rest was easy to hate. This one... she may have to try just a little harder.

"Yeah," A mumble escapes. "That's me." Elizabeth smiles, offering her hand and he takes it. His hand were big, wrapping her petite hand in his and they fit. "I'm Henry, Henry McCord."

"I'm aware. Nice to meet you, Dr McCor-" before she finishes her sentence, he cuts her off. "Henry. Henry's fine." He smiles, passing a warm cup of hot chocolate into her hands. "Here, homemade." Glancing down at the cup, she could tell he was a detailed man, if not thoughtful - judging by the tissue he wrapped the cup with, to keep her hands from getting burned by the beverage.

And the marshmallows.

 _Definitely not enough._

"Thank you," Boldly, she asked, "Hey, do you mind if I have the bag of marshmallows with this?"

Her question caught him by surprise, and he lets out a hearty chuckle. "Help yourself, Elizabeth."

"Help yourself, Elizabeth."  
Henry says and looks into her eyes as she holds the giant packet of mini marshmallows, as though they were her whole life. Marshmallows brought her so much joy, she was definitely a food girl. A stunning one, in fact. Her eyes were like marble - blue, complex. But so loving and striking that you can't help but think she held the ocean under there. Her eyes told him so much - the depth that was in her, and he swears he can see the exhaustion, from crying, or contact and it breaks him a little.

"Thanks," She says and immediately falls back onto the couch, suddenly comfortable and settled when food enters the picture. "Go on then, do your thing."

This provoked a questioning head tilt from Henry. "What exactly is my thing?"

"Well, ask me questions, I answer, you sympathize, tell me everything is going to get better, I pretend I believe you, then "See ya next week!'"

 _Wow._

Elizabeth straightens her back and sits upright, ready to take on the bullets of questions Henry had to offer. Deep down, she knew - though she's done this a thousand times, looking like she's braving through it..It hurts. It hurts the same it did last week, when someone asks her how she is. It hurts the same when she heard the news that her parents were gone for good. It hurts, and she doesn't think that it will ever, ever go away.

But as she readies herself to respond "I'm fine.",

Henry looks her directly in her eyes..and says, "Well, do you wanna join me for a game of Mario Kart? 'Cause, that's what I wanted to ask, Elizabeth." He grins at her, and she melts.

"That sounds perfect, Henry." Her eyes light up.

"Good, prepare to go down. I won't let you off easy. Girl, boy, baby, granny...A game's a game."

Elizabeth laughs, and Henry swears to himself to remember the sound of the joy it carried.

"A game's a game,"

"Here we go!"

 _Here we go._

 _That's when Elizabeth knew..._

 _She'll definitely be back again._

 _And this time, she can't wait._


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you guys so much reviews! I'm so happy you liked it, this is my second fanfiction so it really means extra lot to me.

" _No no no! Oh how dare you,"_

" _You're cruel, Elizabeth Adams. You are a cruel, cruel woman."_

" _Look at that! He's a little cutie toad. I wanna be the cutie little toa-_ " Henry reaches over, casually clicking her control, changing her character selection. "..D-donke-" Elizabeth's eyes widen, as if Henry had done the most outrageous thing on the planet, then she reciprocates, making Henry Princess Peach. They caught eyes, their heads both fall back from laughter.

"Well, Princess Peach's beautiful." Henry comments, his eyes travelling to Elizabeth as he watches a blush of pink creep up her cheeks, then she dismisses it.

 _She really is. Henry felt crazy. Like someone had rewired his brain, or definitely tore some sense out of him - His thoughts were out of control. He wasn't supposed to be like that. He wasn't supposed to be like that at all. But from the moment she entered, his self-control and senses went flying. She made beautiful a whole new word, and Henry couldn't remember the sight of any other woman he'd seen. Henry had been digging within himself to find the last drop of professionalism left, trying to gather his thoughts and arrange them._

 _Until she laughed.  
Wow._

 _She had to laugh._

 _Her laugh sent ceilings crashing down in his heart._

 _Her eyes captured every cell of joy there was, and Henry finds life in them._

 _Until she spoke._

 _Her voice warm and comforting, but it was one of those voices that sticks with you._

 _He knew she could tear him down completely if she wanted to._

 _A little husky too, but it fit her so well._

 _He had completely, indefinitely, forgot why he was there in the first place._

This was the second time Elizabeth had come, and Mario Kart had been the only thing on their agenda so far. It was fun, and Elizabeth didn't mind this therapy. She didn't have to speak, or care about saying the right things - she was there to hold a remote, and have fun. Sounds of speed-tapping have occupied the room for the past hour as the two sit side by side, already unconscious of the distance between them. That is, until Henry makes a sudden left turn, driving Princess Peach straight into victory. He leant into Elizabeth in the moment, and her eyes drop to see that their thighs had been touching, knees resting against each other's, and her heart does a skip. Elizabeth glances at the couch they'd become so comfortable on, suddenly sensitive to its warmth - wondering exactly how many people have sat in her exact same spot, and done the exact same thing with the man next to her.

 _Maybe, this is how he gets all of them to open up._

 _Maybe, this is how he pulls them into comfort, then breaks down all their walls._

Was this routine for him?

Her heart wanders to all these places, and she hated it.  
She'd only just met the guy.

 _Oh, but God - please, don't let it be routine._

 _ **GAME OVER**_

"Ha! That's how you do it, Elizabeth," Henry grins happily, a sense of pride filling him. At this, Elizabeth releases a half-hearted chuckle, and Henry catches on right away, his expression altered. "Elizabeth?" She doesn't look up, her fingers tracing the buttons on the remote controls.

Suddenly, she jolts herself out of her thoughts. "So! You wanna start the real thing now?" She places the controller down, titling her body to face him, waiting for him to respond.

 _What?_

"Y-You wanna talk? Share something?" Henry asks, hoping for confirmation. It was odd. She had completely redirected herself, shifting back into her shell, attempting to distant herself. She had hoped that he wouldn't pick up on the change in her spirits - but he had, and it caught him by surprise. "Yeah," "That's what I'm here for." Her voice stern.

 _That's right._ He thought.

He forgot about that.

He had been so drawn to her,

Forgetting the reality that this is a professional meeting.

Henry quickly gathered his senses.

"Well, okay." He waited for her to take the lead. He'd learned that control was always something that should be given to the person he was listening to. Letting their thoughts lead them into expression so that they could direct their own pace - that was key. Looking at her expectantly, Elizabeth continued.

"Alright. They died a few weeks after my 17th birthday. Car crash," expecting a visual reaction on his face, but when he remained listening, she continued. "Um, I know it's been long. It shouldn't hurt this long - it's been almost 6 years. But I guess - maybe that's why, you know? Maybe it's because it's been so long, that's why it hurts more. Am I making sense? That's six years I've had to live without them. Six. I had to grow up without them, and without warning. I wish someone - God, whatever - would have dropped some goddamn sign. Why did He have to make things so bloody difficult for a 17 year old? That's bullshit. People expect me to move on, to find some sort of settling already but I never rest easy knowing the last thing I said to them was to shut the damn door and leave me alone. I was such a brat, and it feels like their blood are on my hands. I-if I had been in that car, I may have been able to do something - help, save them..God, anything. Maybe I could've died and they could've lived. I should have died..They should have lived," She rambled, choking on her words. Tears lay in her eyes, begging to release but she holds it in. Realizing what just happened, she tries to steady herself.

What the hell was she doing?  
She poured more than she had with anyone else to this man seated in front of her, eyes soft and thinking.

Henry must have felt intimidated, must have thought she was a crazy bitch. Hell, she felt crazy.

"I-I'm sorry, I-" Before she continues, Henry reels her in with his arm, snuggling her into his embrace. Tugging her hair, he soothingly pats her back, rubbing small circles with his palm.

"I'm sorry too, Elizabeth."

She buries her face into his neck, and he feels his shirt instantly get wet from her tears.

She lets herself sob, choking on the overwhelming emotions she'd been holding on.

"Cry, Elizabeth. Cry,"

They rest like this, consumed into each other's embrace.

 _Cry, Elizabeth. Cr_ y.


End file.
